i Gig Book

DD Gigbook and iGigbook

DD Gigbook and iGigbook

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 11:31 am

by Anthony Cinquini

I have both DD Gigbook and iGigbook and prefer one over the other depending on the situation. I love the stability, support and the indexing function of iGigbook, for example. But I love the the linking of my iTunes (and controlling play back while viewing the chart) and the ability to draw on the charts. Best I can tell, DD Gigbook seems to be shutting down as they never respond to questions and their support page appears to be offline. I was wondering if iGigbook should reach out to DD Gigbook and perhaps merge the two platforms or acquire their technology??? DD Gigbook has become very unstable and I suspect the developer never sold enough to make enough money to devote the resources to maintain the app.

If you want to contact me privately for a potential investment, I might be interested in pursuing.

Best,
Tony

Re: DD Gigbook and iGigbook

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 1:18 pm

by Phil Smith

There are many features in iGigBook that are easy to miss depending on how you use the app.

Since version 1.81 (current version 4.6.2), iGigBook has had the ability to link tracks from your music library to a chart along with options such as automatic play, repeat play. Music controls for playback are available by swiping up from the bottom of your device.

What technology??? I personally don't see anything there worth paying money for and users have come to that same conclusion.

Re: DD Gigbook and iGigbook

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 7:48 pm

by Anthony Cinquini

First of all, thanks for the opportunity in engaging directly with customers. I didn't mean to post anonymously and am posting as a registered user now.

DD Gigbook and iGigbook handle linking with MP3's (and the iTunes library) differently. I find that DD Gigbook works better for my flow as follows:

Linking Audio/Mp3's
1. I have over 400 charts that I've imported into both platforms. I also have about 100 backing tracks (mp3's) (sometimes different versions of the same tune). My charts are not always named the same as the mp3's and, as such, I have a very low hit ratio with matching tracks. I canâ€™t seem to locate where I can then search my iTunes for the tune Iâ€™m looking for. Plus iGigbook doesnâ€™t remember which one I selected. Does that feature exist? In DD Gigbook I can permanently link a track with a chart which then is automatically copied into a set list.
2. I like having the rewind (partial or full), pause and volume control on the chart with no need to go back to iTunes for the adjustments.

I really do like how iGigbook finds multiple versions of tunes (when it finds them) and perhaps an option of selecting one of them as a permanent link would suffice? Of course, having an option of searching the iTunes library would be extremely helpful assuming there was no matches.

Drawing on charts
1. At a rehearsal when I need to mark on a chart, doing so with the iPad pencil (or your finger) is much more workable for me opposed to the way iGigbook is set up. Sometimes, I need to fix a note or a chord. Sometimes I need to highlight a coda or repeat and sometimes I need to write an arrow, etc. or mark up the arrangement. I find annotation in iGigbook burdensome and canâ€™t do it â€œon the flyâ€.

iGigbook has many amazing features that DD Gigbook doesnâ€™t have at all or does better like linking to Realbooks (extremely helpful), setting up set lists, certain transposition features and two pages in the landscape mode. Plus, it is very stable and you respond to your customers!!! All things that DD Gigbook doesnâ€™t have and since I think they are shutting down, never will. For that I applaud you and thankful for the product.

Keep up the great work!

Thanks,
Tony

Re: DD Gigbook and iGigbook

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 12:11 am

by Phil Smith

Anthony Cinquini wrote:First of all, thanks for the opportunity in engaging directly with customers. I didn't mean to post anonymously and am posting as a registered user now.

DD Gigbook and iGigbook handle linking with MP3's (and the iTunes library) differently. I find that DD Gigbook works better for my flow as follows:

Linking Audio/Mp3's
1. I have over 400 charts that I've imported into both platforms. I also have about 100 backing tracks (mp3's) (sometimes different versions of the same tune). My charts are not always named the same as the mp3's and, as such, I have a very low hit ratio with matching tracks. I canâ€™t seem to locate where I can then search my iTunes for the tune Iâ€™m looking for. Plus iGigbook doesnâ€™t remember which one I selected. Does that feature exist? In DD Gigbook I can permanently link a track with a chart which then is automatically copied into a set list.
2. I like having the rewind (partial or full), pause and volume control on the chart with no need to go back to iTunes for the adjustments.

I really do like how iGigbook finds multiple versions of tunes (when it finds them) and perhaps an option of selecting one of them as a permanent link would suffice? Of course, having an option of searching the iTunes library would be extremely helpful assuming there was no matches.

1. iGigBook doesn't link anything permanently to the chart, but they are ways to "massage" the name of a set list item to make sure you get a hit. This is useful in a situation where you have different styles of music for the same chart. You can have a set list item named "This Track" and music tracks titled "This Track 1", "This Track 2", "This Track 3" in your music library, all three would appear in the list and you could select the one you want played. You could also have "This Track" added to the same set list 3 times as "This Track 1", "This Track 2", "This Track 3". In this case it's the same chart that will link to different music tracks.

We could have copied what the other apps do, but iGigBook isn't like the other apps, you can do a search and wind up with 13 different versions of "Autumn In New York" and each one of those versions would have your music track of the same name linked to them.

2. If you swipe up from the bottom, the built-in music controls are available to any app at any time, no need to go into iTunes.

Drawing on charts
1. At a rehearsal when I need to mark on a chart, doing so with the iPad pencil (or your finger) is much more workable for me opposed to the way iGigbook is set up. Sometimes, I need to fix a note or a chord. Sometimes I need to highlight a coda or repeat and sometimes I need to write an arrow, etc. or mark up the arrangement. I find annotation in iGigbook burdensome and canâ€™t do it â€œon the flyâ€.

iGigbook has many amazing features that DD Gigbook doesnâ€™t have at all or does better like linking to Realbooks (extremely helpful), setting up set lists, certain transposition features and two pages in the landscape mode. Plus, it is very stable and you respond to your customers!!! All things that DD Gigbook doesnâ€™t have and since I think they are shutting down, never will. For that I applaud you and thankful for the product.

Keep up the great work!

Thanks,
Tony

Sure, being able to use a pen or your finger would make annotation more flexible, but you can still do all of the things that you described pretty easily and in real time during a rehearsal or gig situation with what's there.

Re: DD Gigbook and iGigbook

Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 7:24 pm

by ldrosenblum

New user and absolutely love the app!
Just wanted to put in my vote for a drawing/stylus way of quickly marking charts (in addition to the notes/highlight typing). Me and my guitar teacher would very much appreciate it.
Regardless, thanks for a great app!

Re: DD Gigbook and iGigbook

Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2017 6:46 pm

by flute dude

Just my two cents, the stylus markup would be killer upgrade. I would pay a princely in-app purchase for a feature like that.

Also, with all due respect and perhaps it's only nostalgia for a simpler time, but I like the old icon too!.